I’ve been doing web strategy and development for a long time, and the first 16 years was fun. Then the next 5 years sucked, until I reminded myself why I started the business in the first place.

When I launched in 1996 it was a lifestyle business (this pic was taken that year), before lifestyle business was even a thing. And I was a Digital Nomad before that was a thing, either.

I went where and when I wanted, and worked with people I liked on projects that excited me. I traveled with my husband in his Sales position, and homeschooled our kids for a couple of years. The world was my oyster.

Fast forward to middle age and my mother being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. All of a sudden I took a 180 from the direction I’d always gone.

My sisters and I had always been the focus of her life, and it was time that she became the focus of mine.

I stopped thinking about what I wanted and focused on survival.

Because of the stress and pressure, I started thinking more traditionally and conservatively and hired a person that I allowed to take the business in the same direction as every other design agency out there. I was so busy caring for Mama that I just let go. And, to be honest, I was relieved to let go because I wanted to be able to care for her.

How stupid. Not stupid that I cared for her, but stupid that I didn’t use my brain to do for my own business what I had always done for other businesses!

The thing is, Glerin was never just a *design* firm before.

Yeah, we designed, but that was incidental.

The foundation of the business was all about our brains, not our hands.

It was about strategy and vision and coming up with solutions to everyday problems that nobody else had thought of, solutions that transformed businesses to help owners reach their goals.

It was about thinking in ways that other people weren’t, thinking in ways other people couldn’t even imagine.

It wasn’t about interminable iterations. It wasn’t about moving this title over here and that image over there and blah blah blah. Blahdee-fricking-blah.

I realized I needed to work again with business owners who genuinely want to transform their business to create the life they want to live.

I wanted to work with bold leaders, not followers.

People I would want to hang out with if we weren’t working together.

People who are passionate about living life like they want to live it. Making a good living, but living a good life. Because, hell, we’re not going to be here forever and we might as well enjoy it.

If you see yourself somewhere in this, you can schedule a free 15-minute consult to see if we might be a good match to work together. No obligation, just conversation.

Thanks for reading my rant!
~Lisa